This made my day!

Source: google.co.uk via Lacey on Pinterest

Thanks Nana!

Such a happy little love :)

Tutu made by Clarissa Judy!

Momma and bug.

My mom was here this past week and took Aviana and me to get some pictures done. They turned out really cute. Aviana is a little over 7 months old and almost crawling. I love her to pieces. (I'll post my favorite of Aviana and Nana when I get home)

A little scary..

I stumbled upon this article and was saddened by the rating for the United States. As a new Mom the amount of children that die before the age of 5 is quite alarming. It is sad to think that such a "rich" country has such a high death rate. What do you think?

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/05/03/501364/main20059276.shtml

Marry Me...

I heard the song "Marry Me" by Train today and it made my heart happy. It was a perfect song for me as I am about to celebrate 2 years of marriage with my love. I just love the way he sings it and how simple the lyrics are. Listen to it here... http://youtu.be/Ess2qlVHl6E

finding inspiration

There has been a lot on my mind lately. Some days are better than others but overall things have been pretty good in the Munguia household. We struggle with daily things just like everyone else; like when will we find time to clean, shop, get organized, check the finances, are we saving enough, are all Aviana's needs being met, are all OUR needs being met? Yadda yadda, but today I was struggling with a situation that presented itself yesterday and as I was browsing some online blogs this morning I came across a blog that stopped me instantly. After reading this woman's story I became a little more grounded as to the importance of living in each and every moment whether it is pleasant moment or one that I really could have done without. Her story is heartbreaking as she is a recent widow at 29 with twin girls right around a year old. Her husband died without warning. I find strength from her. She is a single Mom, working, living and supporting her two babies on her own. I absolutely cannot imagine living in her shoes but learning about her push for strength and finding hope each day she lives is amazingly inspiring and uplifting. My struggles seem so tiny compared to hers. I will visit her blog frequently as I know it will help inspire me to be a better person. Is there anyone who inspires you to be better? If not, find someone and learn from them. Sometimes the most gut wrenching stories can give you more peace and hope in YOUR life that you may have otherwise not found.

"Hope is that thing with feathers that perches in the soul and sings the tune without the words and never stops... at all." ~Emily Dickinson

little bug.

Isn't she the cutest!? I'm in love with her smiley, giggly, fun-natured, independent and stubborn little personality. I'm gonna have my hands full but will be sure to love on (well as much as I can) this little bug as she matures into an amazing little girl. sigh.

just as it should be

I have been struggling lately. Sometimes I feel as though life is just passing me by so quickly that I have no time to sit and take it all in. Before the baby life seemed so simple and I couldn't wait for life to become more "exciting." It definitely didn't let me down. Once she arrived the moments just kept passing faster and faster and faster and there wasn't anything I could do about it. I remember I was nursing Aviana at home when she was just a few days old and thinking how could life be any more perfect? Why did having her change my world and change it so much that I felt in a whirlwind? Then all of sudden the emotions took over and I had glimpses of her being this little girl running around and I broke down in tears wishing and hoping she would not get any bigger than right in that moment. Jerry came in the room when these emotions started and I told him, "I don't want her to get any bigger! Can't she just stay this little forever?" He thought I was crazy at that moment as he said "She is only a few days old! And you will have another baby someday. She has to get big eventually." This moment has stuck with me so clearly and I remember it often and it makes me smile. I still feel like she is growing way too fast. Why has life sprinted forward since having a child? I guess I'll never understand and can't change what will be but I do hope that time slows down just a bit so I can take in each moment with a little more gratitude and joy. Motherhood has changed who I am and how I want to live my life and I couldn't ask for more. Life is simple yet so complicated.

Listen to your life. All moments are key moments.

~Frederick Buechner

crafting junkie

So I've never been "creative" or "crafty" to say the least but once I found out that I was having a girl that all changed. A couple of my girlfriends showed me how to make bows and flowers for Aviana as I am sure you have seen in her pictures. It seems that whenever I dress her, her outfit is not complete without a cute head piece! Anyway, I recently taught myself how to make some flower rosettes for my hair. You can add them to just about anything and they are interchangeable too! I currently wear them with a headband but you can add them to a shirt, hat, purse, picture frame, throw pillow or anything that needs some updating or uniqueness. I plan to stitch some small, colored rosettes on plain onesies for Aviana to wear this summer since it will be so dang hot she will be living in those things! I'm so excited to start creating more pretties for her! As you can tell it's currently my obsession to "create" but I seem to only be able to do it when Aviana is sleeping or if Jerry is home to keep an eye on her. Here are a few pictures of the ones I have made so far...these pictures are less than great thanks to my cell phone but nonetheless you get the point.


A few of the first ones I made...



One for my friend...


For another friend...


This one is my favorite...

I will be making lots more this weekend and trying out different ways of making them unique! I have a few new ideas brewing....yay!

5 months and counting...

Rice cereal experience...






My baby is well into her 5th month of life and is happy as can be.

Some new things as of this month:

~sitting up with little assistance from Momma
~eating rice cereal twice a day
~sleeping in her crib at night (This is a big one for Mom and Dad!)
~her first cold...she has a respiratory infection and is on breathing treatments. She is doing much better now, thank God!
~loves talking to Nana and her cousin via the computer. She talks up a storm when we are video chatting.
~Just this week she is VERY attached to me. I can't get anything done it seems. Sigh.

Overall, she is getting big and more cute every day. We just love her to pieces.

Oh and she is just shy of 15 lbs as of 3.7.11. We have her 6 month checkup at the end of this month!

Little Mama

One of my old friends is a photographer now and she did some shots of me and Aviana when she turned 4 months. She did a great job capturing Aviana's personality which is serious with a little bit of playful. These were taken at the Mesa Arts Center on 1.28.11. I did these without telling Jerry so I could surprise him with some Valentine's pictures of his girls (a little early)! He loved them!

Here are a few shots so....enjoy!







Chaille Michael Photography

My little challenge...

3.5 months 1/2/11

4 months 1/24/11

So Aviana has been a super easy and laid back baby which has made the transition into parenthood extremely effortless...but the tides are turning and I am not sure how I feel about it. I think she is starting to teethe and as a new Mom I am not sure what I am supposed to do. She has teether rings and toys but those don't seem to do much. I can't tell on her gums if she is getting tooth buds or not. The gums aren't white or aything so I am completely lost. She goes from being super happy to a tantrum within seconds....she is a drooly mess a lot of the time and fights to take naps. Are these signs of teething? If anyone has any advice I will be grateful for some input because I feel like I am not meeting her needs some of the time. I just wish she could talk and tell me what is going on. HA!

In other Aviana news...she is rolling over, trying to sit up, talks all the time, grabs anything she can and is getting better about napping in her crib! Jerry freaks when he gets her from her crib and she is on her belly...she is getting so big and much more entertaining to say the least. She is a little over 4 months and doing well with her growth. At her 4 month check up she was; 13lbs 11oz and 26 inches long (doc didn't believe it at first). She is right at 95% in height; she's gonna be a tall one!

We love watching her grow and change and can't believe we found out we were pregnant a year ago already. Time sure has flown by but we sure are blessed to have a beautiful baby girl to call our own. <3